Stop using automated testing tools. Customize and write your own tests with Python! While there are an increasing number of sophisticated ready-made tools to scan systems for vulnerabilities, Python allows testers to write system-specific scripts-or alter and extend existing testing tools-to find, exploit, and record as many security weaknesses as possible. This course will give you the necessary skills to write custom tools for different scenarios and modify existing Python tools to suit your application's needs.

Christian Martorella starts off by providing an overview of the web application penetration testing process and the tools the professionals use to perform these tests. Next he shows how to interact with web applications using Python, HTTP, and the Requests library. Then follow the web application penetration testing methodology. Each section contains practical Python examples. To finish off, Christian shows how to use the tools against a vulnerable web application created specifically for this course.